


You Will Get A Sentimental Feeling

by TongueTiedRaven



Series: 12 Days of Prompts [10]
Category: Ao no Exorcist | Blue Exorcist
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Gifts, Kisses, secret gift
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:22:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28256124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TongueTiedRaven/pseuds/TongueTiedRaven
Summary: Mamushi bought the stupid gift in a weak moment and now she had to give it. However, it was Christmas, and Juuzou would absolutely get the wrong idea.She'd have to get creative.
Relationships: Houjou Mamushi/Shima Juuzou
Series: 12 Days of Prompts [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2047784
Comments: 6
Kudos: 13





	You Will Get A Sentimental Feeling

**Author's Note:**

> Today's Prompt is "Gift"

It didn’t mean anything. It was just an item she saw that made her think of him. Nothing big. Nothing to get weird about.

Why was she even  _ doing  _ this?!

Mamushi dropped her head against her desk and exhaled noisily. She was being ridiculous. She had been ridiculous since she saw the stupid gloves in the window. The entire experience had been insane and now she had gloves that she had to wrap and somehow give without humiliating herself. The obvious thing to do would have been to just not give it but she had spent her money on it and she couldn't just waste the money. It wasn't like they'd fit her either. 

And she certainly wasn't going  _ rock  _ climbing.

Mamushi sat up properly and jerked her desk drawer open. She pulled out the box with the gloves and dropped them angrily on top of the desk. 

It was stupid that she’d done this for Christmas. It was a  _ couples  _ holiday. What insanity had gripped her that she’d bought something for that monkey?

Granted, she was still feeling guilty about the Barion fiasco. However, that hardly justified buying a Christmas gift.

She found the least festive paper in her possession and cut it to shape. She put her ill thought out gift on top.

She was terrible at wrapping gifts. The paper was never the right size and her corners were always sloppy. It looked like a child had wrapped it.

Well… That was an option. There was no reason he had to know it was from her. If it was done anonymously then she could avoid awkward conversations and get rid of the gloves. He never needed to know.

She finished her abysmal wrapping job and stood up. She dumped the present in her bag and decided she'd forget about it until tomorrow.

She left her dorm to join her friends for dinner and didn't think about the gloves or Juuzou's annoying face.

She got up early the next morning and tended to her morning rituals before grabbing her school items. The present sat slightly out of her bag, mocking her. She could probably drop it at his desk before Cram school started. It would keep her anonymous and-yes. That’s what she’d do.

She rushed out of the building and jogged across the campus. She used her key to get in the hall and snuck through the shadows as quietly as she could. The Cram school was eerie at the best of times but it was downright unnerving in the dark. Thankfully it was empty at the moment so she was able to slip into their room and leave the poorly wrapped present on his desk. There was nothing about it to give her away. She slipped out as quietly as she had come and made for the exit.

“Miss Hōjō?” Tōdō called in a cheerful, curious tone. Mamushi froze in immediate horror and blushed. “My, you’re early.” 

“I was-” Her voice stalled out as she scrambled for an excuse that would be believable. “Just-”

“There’s no need to explain yourself, Miss Hōjō.” The teacher strode towards her with an easy smile. His bag was slung over his shoulder and his graying hair was combed back as neatly as ever. “I’m certain that whatever you were doing, you had good reasons.” His smile broadened, coaxing and kind. “One must always repay their debts after all.” He continued past her and into their classroom. Mamushi watched him go, their earlier conversations playing in her head. 

She dashed back outside and to her breakfast.

She didn’t watch Juuzou open his present. She didn’t watch his brow furrow in confusion when he saw the hideously wrapped present. She didn’t acknowledge his darting, curious eyes and she most certainly did not notice his excited smile when he saw the climbing gloves inside. 

She didn’t care about any of it. She had just bought them on impulse and that was all it had been.

\--------------------------------------

A decade later had proved her quite wrong. For reasons Mamushi would never quite understand, she’d married the boy. Her ridiculous monkey.

Their precious little Aiko was sitting in the middle of the floor playing with her colors. She was attempting to draw a snake like her aunties familiars. She had her father’s silly smile and it melted Mamushi’s heart a little more every time she saw it. 

Juuzou’s booming voice blasted through their little house. “Mamushi? You in here?”

“Yes!” She called as she passed Aiko a red crayon. 

Her husband strode into the room, his smile large and easy. “Hey, Beautiful, and baby! How are my two girls?”

Mamushi rose up as he came in view. He was in the full True Cross uniform and dropped his bag by the table. He should have left it by the door. She’d reprimand him about that later after she’d reacquainted herself with that tempting smile.

He gave her a quick peck while Aiko squealed and launched herself at her father. He scooped her up with a cheerful explanation and kissed her cheek.

“Daddy!” She squealed, “you’re home early!”

He kissed her cheek and squeezed her close. “Of course.” He wrapped his free hand around Mamushi’s waist and pulled her closer. She went willingly even though she pretended she didn’t.

“How is everyone?” He asked softly around a sweet kiss. 

“We’re fine.” She blew out a breath and raised a hand to smooth her daughter’s hair. “Though we missed you.”

Juuzou hugged them both.

Mamushi wiggled free of her husband’s hold. “Okay you two, go sit down while I fetch daddy’s dinner.” She fetched his meal and allowed herself a few soft smiles as Juuzou listened adamantly to Aiko’s excited ramble about her day. He gushed over her drawings and every excited smile and warm praise made Mamushi’s heart pound with a joy that was almost painful at times.

Dinner was finished and Aiko enjoyed a while longer with them before they sent her to bed. Juuzou went to tuck her in and read her a story. 

Mamushi grabbed his luggage and took it to their room. She set to unpacking his clothes and that was when she found them tucked away amongst his gear. 

They were ancient by glove standards. He’d kept them in remarkably good repair. They’d obviously been well cared for. 

Her heart fluttered for a moment at the sweet sentiment until she remembered that he didn’t know who had given them to him. It was still endearing but it didn’t have quite the same sweetness to it.

“Beautiful?” Juuzou called cheerfully as he strolled into their bedroom. Mamushi stood frozen in the room with her hands extended and holding the gloves. “Oh,” his eyes went wide and a hint of a blush lit his cheeks.

“Oh?” She repeated and tucked the gloves back in his bag.

He strolled closer, cheeks warm and eyes soft. “I almost forgot about those old things. I should go climbing soon.” His smile brightened at the idea. 

She hummed noncommittally and closed his bag.

“You know,” he continued, completely fine to carry on a conversation by himself, “I think that was the first thing you ever gave me.”

“It wasn’t- what?”

He wrapped his hands around her waist and tugged her back into his chest. He propped his chin on her shoulder and kissed her cheek. 

“It wasn’t? Coulda swore it-”

She was not going to be distracted. “What makes you think it was me?”

Juuzou snorted and kissed her jaw. “Mamushi, I have never met someone who wraps as poorly as you do.” 

She smacked his arm and broke free. “I-”

Juuzou caught her hands. “Hey,” he laughed, “it’s true! I knew the minute I saw it that you’d left it.” 

The statement did not make her heart flutter like some silly school girl. Her gift wrapping wasn’t  _ that  _ bad.

She tried to shuffle away but he pulled her back. “Mamushi,” he coaxed, “I love your sloppy wrapping and I love the gift.”

She put up a fight but allowed herself to be pulled in. 

“They were because of the bariyon?” He asked as he drew her into a slow kiss. “Figured you wanted to be even or something. Like you had anything to payback at all.” He kissed her again. “Why did you try and hide it?”

“I didn’t think about the timing.” She murmured and flushed. Darn him and his kisses. They always disarmed her into revealing more than she intended. His sweet words were distracting though. She hadn’t thought about that moment in such a long time.

His brow wrinkled for a moment. “Oh! Christmas?” She avoided his eyes and he beamed. “What? Didn’t want me to think you were sweet on me?” 

“I wasn’t.” 

His smile was ridiculous and she loved it so much. “Good thing that changed then.” 

She pulled his luggage off the bed and put it away in the closet. 

Juuzou watched her and she soaked in the warm gaze. It was a good thing her opinions had changed, though she wasn’t certain that it hadn’t changed before the gloves.

She returned to Juuzou ’s side and enjoyed having her husband back.

**Author's Note:**

> I'll probably come back to this one at some point and refine it some. 
> 
> Just two more prompts to go!


End file.
